Best of luck to the Ensor family, Clyde’s new family. They came and got him today. After seeing the excitement in that sweet boy’s eyes, I could not even feel sad about Clyde leaving us. I’m pretty sure he’s going exactly where he was supposed to go. He’s starting a new chapter and a lot of new adventures await! So, best wishes, sweet Clyde! We will miss you, but are so glad we had so much fun with you!!!

When we got Clyde, we were in a totally different part of our lives. With Dad’s death, the move, etc., our lives have changed drastically. We’re home owners again. We have new responsibilities. And, we simply don’t have a lot of free time. And, Clyde has been let slide. It’s not fair to us or him. Yes, I know I talk about him like he’s a person. He kind of is.

But, recently, I’ve had to just face facts… we can’t do this project right now. And, by the time we free up enough time to do it, we may be in a different place in our lives again. So, with a really heavy heart, I’m going to have to tell Clyde goodbye.

So, we’re searching for him a new home. I don’t want all our hard work, and our dreams for him, to get thrown in a recycling heap. So, here’s the deal… if someone will take him and continue his renovation/restoration/rebuild, he’s free to a good home. He’s beyond sturdy and structurally sound. He needs the electric and plumbing run. Insulation and walls put up and the cabinets/beds built in. He’ll also need his trim put back on. We still have it, the windows, etc. We also have his original sink and a lot of other gadgets and gizmos (a cool old circuit box, NOS, the circuit for it and so many other things, even sheets). These come with him.

We can’t deliver, so you have to come to Jonesborough TN to pick him up. He has a title out of Florida that we never even signed. So, we’ll just hand you that and all his bits ‘n’ pieces and you can continue on to a fun-filled camper of your own.

So, the first part of this actually happened several weeks ago, and I’m just now getting the time to post. I’m a lousy blogger, but we knew that. So, just move on, and pretend this just happened, if it makes you feel better!

Clyde has under floor and over floor, and some plastic between! He would have had it done a month ago, but… well, I’ll explain later!

Chad, as I have said a multitude of times, deserves a major award. He has done almost all the work on Clyde, and Clyde is really MY dream project, not his. This project REALLY proved it. Putting these floors down had to be the most awkward and irritating thing we’ve done in Clyde so far.

First, we cut and put down the metal portion of the floor, then came the truly irritating part. Putting the plastic vapor-barrier down. It was like trying to nail jello to the floor. Seriously, it slipped, it slid, and Chad would pull one way, I’d pull the other. Then, the metal would slide. We’d get that in place, then start over. Sometimes, we’d have to go under the camper and pull the metal back straight. If we’d been able to screw the metal down and then do the plastic, it’d be different. But, we wanted no screws under the wood, we wanted to sandwich it all together, to minimize the lumps and bumps on the floor. In other words, Chad was being a perfectionist!!!

But, we got the vapor barrier down, and taped it to the wall, so it would stay taut. Then, cut the wood. We did it in 3 sections. We started at the back, then added the front. Then…

As usual, Clyde had to have the last laugh. The last piece of plywood was literally a HALF INCH too small to cover the center gap. And, it was about 8pm on a Sunday. So, we couldn’t get more. Sigh. Oh, well, we got that part done today!!! So, it was a ways coming, but… ladies and gentlemen, I give you

CLYDE’S NEW FLOOR!!!!!!! (toward the front)

(toward the back)

Did you notice all the lines on the floor? The blue is (of course) chalk lines from measuring and cutting the floor. BUT, the white lines are something MUCH more exciting. We’ve done the floor plan, so to speak. We went through with our measurements of things we have (fridge, etc) and measurements we have (beds, cabinets) and taped outlines for where everything needs to be. We had to change plans on a few things (we’ve once again had to change our minds on the size of the bed in the back, and changed the dinette from the front do the back. Again. What does that make 87 times? 90? I have lost count). It felt SO real today. We have a REAL floor. 4 solid walls. It’s easy to see where things will be now. It’s just awesome. I’m getting super excited.

We’ve also ordered a few things. We’ve got the trim for the outside ordered from Ohio. Chad has a call in to get the metal (angle iron, which is actually steel, I think) for the roof. I’ve ordered the gizmos that you run the wiring and plumbing from the outside to the inside. So, things are moving much faster. Which is mind boggling considering how painfully slow this process has been. But, it’s been something we’ve cobbled together as our crazy schedules allow. And, we’ve had a lot of fun doing it. Today, we just sat in the floor, where our dinette will be, facing each other and smiling. Holy cow, it was a GREAT day!

Yawn…. stretch… Yawn some more. Clyde here! Holy cow.. I’ve been hibernating all winter! Usually Mom (Emily) writes the blog, but I’ve been sitting out in the snow and rain all winter, and Mom’s busy. So, I thought I’d take over for a bit.

It’s been kinda lonely, down here in my corner of the yard. I’ve had some pretty birds to watch, and sometimes the neighbor’s cat comes by and hangs out inside for a bit. He likes to walk across my axles and try to jump at the couple of bits of wiring I have dangling. We talk, but you know… cats aren’t really all that into campers, and he wasn’t even alive in the 1970’s, so we don’t have much in common.

BUT… I have a feeling it’s going to warm up soon. Dad (Chad) was down here a couple of days ago, and he had the measuring tape out. That always means exciting times are coming! He has some pretty metal all ready to lay down as my brand new floor. He’s going to top that off with some wood, and I’ll be solid and ready for my interior!

What’s my interior going to look like? SPIFFY! That’s what! For my guts, I get Pex plumbing to a single faucet. I get romex wiring, like houses get. I’m not going to be battery capable, simply because Mom says the devil will ice skate before she camps off the grid. She’s kinda girly and a little spoiled. Don’t tell her I said that. She’ll retaliate by putting pink cushions on my couch!

The guts stuff won’t take very long at all, ’cause Dad was an electrician guy for a long time. So, once that’s ran, and the brake lights/marker lights and such are ran (he’s a car guy, too, so this stuff’s gonna be fast), then it’s gonna get super exciting. Why? ‘Cause I get…

PANELING!!! Do you even know how awesome paneling is? I mean, I know some people like that wallboard stuff, but honestly… paneling is where it’s at! I am a 1970’s camper. I am all about the paneling! Oh, that and Disco Balls!!! But, Dad said No the the disco ball. He says he has to keep an eye on Mom or I’m gonna be tacky. We’re not telling him about the boxes of 1970’s decor Mom has. Mom says that’s our little secret. Apparently, I am going to have owls. Lots of them. She’s a little obsessed.

Anyway, back to the wonderful word of paneling. There are so many kinds.

You can have some that has pictures of deer.

Oh, Deer!

Some that looks like wood.

Distressed, even!

Some that looks like dry-erase board.

(I was going to put in a picture, but um… it’s just white. Use your imagination!)

Some that you can hang tools on (it’s called Peg Board. Mom said no).

pegboard aka manly paneling

It’s AWESOME STUFF! And, being true to my 1974 self, it’s what I’m very excited about. We’re still deciding if we want all white bead board (big on bottom, little on top) or White on bottom with honey colored wood on top. Dad says if it’s all white, I’ll look like the inside of a refrigerator. I think Mom is starting to agree. I don’t care. I just want PANELING!

Now, I just have to talk them into shag carpet. That is NOT going to be easy.

Note from Clyde’s Mom: While helping Clyde find paneling pictures I discovered that paneling has a high end world. I had no idea. If you want to have your mind blown by what some places consider paneling, check this out:

Currently up for auction on eBay is the only other Bendix Trailer I’ve ever seen!

It’s Clyde’s Little Sister!!!

Same fantastic upholstery as Clyde!

Looks like Clydette is in much better shape than Clyde was. She has the same groovy interior, and great ’70’s colors. She also has a functional bathroom!
She lives in Michigan, and bidding is currently at $3000. She’s a 1976 Bendix Aristocrat. SO cute!!!!

We had planned to work on Clyde on Saturday, but (naturally) it rained. So, we went to the Bulk Food store, bought enough beef jerky to last us a life time, and spent the rest of the day goofing off. So… Sunday came in beautiful and we got to work!!!

First day of Fall, and the temps were in the low 70’s and a perfect breeze blew all day.

We had a last item of demolition to do. I didn’t count it as a part of the camper, because it was the floor. But, Chad says it counts. So, this is really the last demo of the camper itself. We knew the wood floors had to go. They were all lumpy and bumpy from remnants of linoleum past. They had a lot of water damage at the corners, wheel wells and door. So, that was a given. Using the weirdest of floor removal tools…

a mattock (or mattox, depending on where you live), we removed the wood. It came out in chunks. We had to laugh, because we hit one section that did NOT want to come up. Chad was slamming crowbars and the mattock under it and just started dying laughing. He yelled, “We finally found one piece of Clyde that was built well!!!!” We’ve been hunting it for almost 3 years. Finally it revealed itself! LOL!!!!

What we could see of the metal under the wood and insulation looked okay, but we could only see a couple of square feet, so we weren’t holding our breath.

Good thing!!! Not only did they have holes in them from the dissimilar metals touching (galvanic reaction/action, see below), they had actually been made of… irregular siding. Yes, it was made of the stuff the sides were made of. I was counting on whisper-thin aluminum to hold my chubby self up off the ground. Oh, my.

So, armed with tin snips, crowbars, a screwdriver and the patience of a saint, Chad went to work!

As he worked and revealed more and more of the frame, we found out a brace on the frame had missed being welded to the center frame. It was hanging by a thread. So, we’ll have to weld that back on. But, luckily, the remainder of the frame is in excellent shape. It’s got a very small amount of surface rust. So, in the coming days, we’ll be using a metal brush to get the rust and dirt off. Then, we’ll take Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer and cover the frame with that, then paint it with Rustoleum gloss black. We could use the spray stuff, but don’t want to risk getting any of it on the good siding, windows, whatever. So, we’ll use brushes for that.

Right now, we have a couple of extra 2x4s just bracing the walls to keep them from slumping. They weren’t, but we figured we wouldn’t leave it for long without something. We know our luck!!

Our find of the day is something that just cracked me up.

4 small, beehive clear lights. Mounted UNDER the camper, but too far back/in to be of any use for signaling. The only thing we can figure out is that they were there to help you see where to put the stabilizing jacks if you were setting up in the dark. They are SO cool! I absolutely love this fantastic, retro look. 3 of them are in really good shape, one has a cracked lens. We’re thinking that maybe they could be used as reverse lights, since they are white. Whatever the case, we are SO finding a place for these. They’re the coolest find we’ve had on this project and I am just in love with them!!

Our final work of the day was to get the back window in. We took out the temporary plastic sheeting, butyl taped the edges of the window frame and popped it in. We had to wedge some wood around the edges to hold it in place, as we don’t have the insulation or paneling up yet. Even temporarily in place, they look fantastic!

Rear window (not the movie)

Front window, as seen earlier

We’ll cut the holes for the 4 small windows when we get the floors put in. I’m working on cleaning them up, and finding a place to replace the screening, as it’s picked to pieces on several of the windows. I know that’s supposed to be a very simple DIY, but I’m kind of cursed when it comes to screens. So, I’ll be hiring that one out, Thank you!

In short, we now have a hand full of actual structural stuff to do: repair the weld on the frame, clean up and paint the frame, new metal floors (luckily, we have left over steel from the camper sides, so we’ll utilize that), new subfloor, new roof bracing. Then, we’ll be ready to figure out where to run the electrical and plumbing. Run that, then put up styrofoam-style insulation and the paneling. Then, we’ll have our little box on wheels ready to for its pretty innards! Sounds like a lot, but these are mostly quick things, as Chad has restored tons of old cars, so he’s very used to frame work. He’s a blacksmith/metal artist, so he can weld like crazy. I’m the daughter of an electrician, and helped restore/repair old houses my whole life. We’ve finally hit the point that we actually KNOW WHAT WE’RE DOING!!! So, hopefully it will go quicker now!!!

We’re coming up on Clyde’s 3rd year with us (November 2010, he came home to live with us). I’m hoping 2014 (which will be his 40th birthday) will see him on the road! With productive days like this, I can actually see it coming! It’s about time!!!

Look! Look!!!!! Just look!!!!! CLYDE GOTS EYES!!!! Well, one eye, anyway! After a small snafu (yeah, like that’s so abnormal here) with the order, we got some butyl putty tape. Chad actually hid this roll when it came in, so I didn’t even know it was here.
I yelled down to our part of the house to come for supper when I got home. He came bounding up the stairs and said, “Hey, you might wanna look at Clyde!” I looked out, and there it was!! A windowed Clyde!
He said he bit off a bit more than he meant to. Apparently, to get it to STAY in, he had to also put on the inside trim ring! Which, since we have no insulation or paneling up, was a bit of a pain. He rigged it for now, got it in nice and snug and there it is!!!
It was getting dark, so I only managed to get one sort of half-decent picture. But, it’s so wonderful to see a beautiful, clean, fully installed window!

This is a baby step, but we’ve lost SO much time on Clyde this summer, that seeing something done is just heart-warming!!!
And, to know that Chad came in from a long day at inservice and did this for me… how cool is that?!
Love that man!!!!!